Just a few weeks ago, Ole Miss was one of the most consistent and stable teams in college football. Under Lane Kiffin’s guidance, they were headed to the playoffs. The first-ever playoff appearance for the program.
All of a sudden, it felt like everything just turned into chaos when Kiffin left for LSU only days after winning the Egg Bowl. If that wasn’t enough, Kiffin took most of the team’s offensive staff with him to the Tigers.
Fans were left wondering what the players might be going through, whether the team will become directionless, and whether they can even compete without Kiffin in the playoffs. Today, the Rebels proved that they can.
Under Pete Golding, they delivered a performance that felt more like a statement. A blowout 41-10 win over Tulane. A game that they dominated from the very beginning and secured a quarterfinal spot, for the first time in program history. All without Kiffin’s presence.
Speaking to On3’s Chris Low, Deuce Alexander gave props to the people who are the true architects of the Rebels’ success.
“People were saying we weren’t going to be the same team without coach (Kiffin). He’s a great coach and all, but at the end of the day, the players play the game. So we were just prepared for the moment, just ready to go out there and prove everybody wrong,” he said.
It was a collective team effort that made this possible. Other than the pressure of a playoff game, the Rebels were also battling countless naysayers who were ready to write them off the moment they lost. The Rebels never gave them a chance.
Keith Carter on Post-Lane Kiffin Era Rebels
There’s no denying that it’s Kiffin who shaped the program from the ground up. He hired capable staff, he recruited players, worked with them, made them great college athletes, and instilled confidence in the team.
Kiffin deserves all the praise for what he has done for Ole Miss. However, when he decided to leave in the middle of the season, it put even more pressure on the people he left behind. For Keith Carter, the best way to deal with that problem was by blocking out the noise.
“Somebody told me that I ought to write a book about it,” Carter said. “I said, ‘No, I’ve tried to block it all out.”
As chaotic as the last month has been for the Rebels, the win over Tulane must have boosted their morale as they now gear up for the quarterfinal vs Georgia.
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